Hurricane Pauline (1997)
| Category 4 hurricane ( SSHWS ) | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Emergence | October 5, 1997 | |
| resolution | October 10, 1997 | |
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Peak wind speed |
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| Lowest air pressure | 946 mbar ( hPa ; 28 inHg ) | |
| dead | 230-500 direct | |
| Property damage | $ 447.8 million (1997) | |
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Affected areas |
Southwest Mexico , especially Acapulco | |
| Season overview: 1997 Pacific hurricane season |
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Hurricane Pauline was one of the strongest and most consequential Pacific hurricanes to ever in Mexico raged. As the 16th tropical storm, eighth hurricane and 7th major hurricane of the 1997 Pacific hurricane season , Pauline developed from a tropical wave on October 5, 1997 , about 410 km south-southwest of Huatulco in the Mexican state of Oaxaca . The storm initially migrated eastwards but then turned to a northwestern direction and quickly gained strength to reach peak wind speeds of 215 km / h. It moved parallel to the Mexican coast at a small distance before, weakening, it met Puerto Escondido and disbanded the following day.
Pauline caused heavy rains along the Mexican coastline, with a peak in Acapulco where more than 400mm of rainfall fell. Severe flooding and landslides in some of Mexico's poorest areas killed between 230 and 400 people, making the storm one of the most momentous storms in the East Pacific Basin ever recorded. The passage of the hurricane destroyed or damaged tens of thousands of houses and left around 300,000 people homeless. Property damage amounted to MXN 80 billion (about US $ 7.5 billion in 1997 ).
Storm course
A tropical wave broke off the African coast on September 16 . It crossed steadily westward the Atlantic, with the southern part grazed over the north of South America . On 26 September, the wave reached the eastern Pacific at the height of Panama , where she organized slowly into a system. A weak channel near the bottom reached from the Caribbean Sea in southern Mexico , interrupting the normal flow of westward currents. On October 3, the tropical wave developed an isolated area with strong convection and began to drift eastwards towards southern Mexico. Two days later a ground-level air circulation formed and at noon on October 5th the system developed into the Tropical Depression Eighteen-E, about 410 km south-southeast of Huatulco , Oaxaca .
Due to the lack of vertical wind shear , the low moved due east and steadily organized itself better. The system developed gusts of wind and thick central clouds and was upgraded to Tropical Storm Pauline early on October 6th. At this time Pauline was about 475 km south-southeast of Salina Cruz . A strong high pressure area absorbed the channel over the southeast of Mexico and thereby brought Pauline in a northeast direction. Late on October 6th, one eye formed and the following morning Pauline intensified into a hurricane about 425 km southeast of Salina Cruz after the direction of movement had changed first to the north and then to the northwest.
Pauline strengthened noticeably after it became a hurricane, with favorable prospects for further development, and 18 hours after Pauline became a hurricane, the storm peaked. The hurricane's winds then eased slightly for a short time, but on October 8, Pauline regained strength, reaching 215 km / h, just a short distance off the Mexican coast. The hurricane then turned more west-northwest and migrated parallel to the south coast of Oaxaca. Pauline quickly lost strength due to the interaction with the mountainous mainland before reaching the mainland at Puerto Escondido on October 9th. The storm quickly weakened overland, moving parallel to the coast, and dissolved over the Mexican state of Jalisco on October 10th .
Preparations
The early predictions underestimated the intensity peak of Hurricane Pauline by 95 km / h. On October 7, about 41 hours before reaching the mainland, the Mexican government issued a hurricane warning for the coast between Tapachula in the state of Chiapas to Punta Maldonado in Guerrero . Shortly after the storm hit the coast, the warning was extended to the northwest, first to Manzanillo and later to Puerto Vallarta . The turn of the storm west-northwest was unexpected and ensured that some areas received a storm warning just hours before the hurricane hit.
The Mexican authorities in Puerto Madero closed the port facilities to all ships, with the exception of ships in the open sea, which were seeking protection. In total, the authorities closed six important ports between Acapulco and Puerto Madero. The state of Oaxaca set up 75 emergency reception centers and prepared 50 school buildings to accommodate up to 10,000 people. Many residents removed light objects from outside and sealed their windows with tape.
Those responsible in El Salvador declared a nationwide alert to be able to better react to the possible dangers of the hurricane. Residents of flood-prone areas have been warned of possible flash floods . Because the hurricane then turns sharply to the northwest, there are no reports of property damage or personal injury from this country.
Effects
There is less observation data from the ground surface of the passage of the hurricane. Authorities believe southern Mexico received the hurricane's peak winds. Puerto Escondido , the place where Pauline reached the mainland, reported a 125 km / h gust measured a few hours before the hurricane hit the area, but there are no measurements after that time. An anemometer in Acapulco recorded a gust of 95 km / h and sustained winds of only 75 km / h, but authorities believe Pauline was a hurricane when it passed through the area.
The hurricane caused significant rainfall along its migratory path, with a maximum of 410 mm measured in Acapulco within 24 hours. Various other locations report rainfall in excess of 250mm between October 3 and 10, 1997, with the highest reported 829mm from Puente Jula near the Paso Overjas. Waves nine meters high were reported from locations along the Oaxacas coast when the hurricane hit the coast.
Hurricane Pauline hit the state of Chiapas only slightly, but Oaxaca and Guerrero , two of the poorest regions in Mexico, were hit hard by the storm. The area most affected by the hurricane is the area around Acapulco . The hurricane also caused severe damage to the environment. Around 700 km² of low-lying rainforest , as well as pine and evergreen oak forests , were largely damaged in southern Mexico. Strong waves caused severe beach erosion in some sections . Also affected are two spawning grounds for the olive ridged turtle , with an estimated 40 million eggs destroyed. The deadliest and most severe hurricane that Mexico since the 1959 Mexico Hurricane damaged, causing a cost of 80 billion MXN (1997 about 7.5 billion US dollars ).
The exact number of victims is not known. 123 dead were confirmed within a day of the storm. A United Nations report reported 137 deaths three days after the storm. A Reuters report reported 173 dead and over 200 missing, while the Mexican government issued a statement that the storm killed 149 people. Ultimately, the media reported that at least 230 people died and the Mexican Red Cross reported 400 dead and at least 1900 missing.
Oaxaca
The state of Oaxaca was declared a state of emergency shortly after Pauline reached the mainland. Non-stop rains caused a river to overflow, flooding 50 communities in Oaxaca. The floods destroyed two bridges, damaged twelve more bridges and numerous areas were cut off from electricity, drinking water and telecommunications services for several days. The passage of the hurricane affected tens of thousands of homes and left 250,000 homeless. At least 110 people died in the state of Oaxaca, where 1278 communities were affected by the natural disaster.
The hurricane's strong winds tore down trees and power lines in the south of the state. The hurricane isolated Puerto Ángel and a naval base there from the rest of Mexico for a few days by disrupting communications. In Huatulco , the winds destroyed the antenna systems of the local television station. 500 communities in Oaxaca were completely destroyed and the worst hit areas were Zapotecos , Chatino and Mixtecos .
Guerrero
Heavy rains caused severe landslides and flooding in southern Guerrero state. Many localities were almost completely destroyed and some remained flooded for more than a week after the hurricane. The flooding wiped out crops on thousands of acres of farmland and killed cattle. More than 45,000 residents were cut off from the outside world. The passage of the hurricane caused damage to houses, bridges and the water and electricity supply. According to a preliminary estimate, 123 people died in Guerrero, most of them in Acapulco . Four days after the storm, over 200 people were missing, believed to have washed into the sea or been spilled in landslides. In that state, 50,000 have been left homeless.
A week later, the tropical storm Olaf struck the same area and caused further landslides and flash floods in the slums on the Bay of Acapulco on the already sodden soil . Over 5000 houses were destroyed there and 25,000 more damaged. The luxury hotels near the beach were essentially unaffected by the hurricane, with the slum dwellers losing all of their belongings. Much of the city was covered in mud and 70% of Acapulcos had no water supply. Most of the city's over one million residents were also without electricity or telephones.
consequences
Mexican Red Cross volunteers quickly entered the disaster area with search and rescue teams, including specially trained dogs, to search for buried hurricane victims in landslide areas of Acapulco. In the first four days after the storm, one or two victims were found by each search team, and officials said the search could take weeks. In Guerrero, the teams saved a total of 35 people from extreme danger. In the hours after the hurricane broke through, aid teams drove through the flood areas in boats to help in the hardest hit areas. The Red Cross provided food, drinking water, clothing, cover, water treatment supplies, powdered milk and other non-perishable foods, as well as medicines for the people in the emergency camps in Oaxaca , Guerrero and Chiapas . The Mexican Red Cross also built shelters to accommodate hundreds of refugees. Within four days of the storm, 100 tons of relief supplies were distributed to the hurricane victims. Medical workers have also been sent to the area to help the injured.
Although the authorities stationed water treatment plants in Acapulco , water remained largely unavailable. Water tankers were sent into the city, and thousands stood in line to get drinking water. The tourists in Acapulco hotels, largely unaffected by the storm, were forced to consume bottled water and cut consumption so that as much as possible could be diverted for the rest of the city. As a result of the hurricane, there was severe price gouging in the city . A consumer protection officer reported that some shopkeepers sold milk 200% more expensive, tortillas 500% more expensive than usual, and bottled water ten times the price. Although 39 aid centers were set up by the government in Acapulco, some residents were unable to get food and drinking water. Some residents accused officials in President Ernesto Zedillos Partido Revolucionario Institucional of diverting aid supplies for their own purposes. The president promised to take action and decided to close the aid centers and set up super kitchens instead. Although the Mexican army had the food, it did not set up the kitchens. she still distributed the relief supplies to the aid centers.
The floods of the hurricane and untreated sewage created a general threat of the spread of tropical diseases in many poor areas of southwest Mexico. That is why the health authorities have set up vaccination centers for the population in various cities along the coast of Guerrero and Oaxaca . Thousands have been vaccinated against typhus and tetanus . The authorities also noted a potential threat of spreading dengue fever and cholera from contaminated water. It was also found that mosquitoes with malaria and dengue fever were likely to breed widely in areas with residual flood water. Two days after the storm, the sun came out for the first time in Acapulco and evaporated the moisture, spreading haze over the area with potentially deadly disease. Residents were warned of the haze contamination and asked to boil food and water for at least thirty minutes. At least twenty cases of cholera and at least six cases of dengue fever were recorded. The army distributed chlorine tablets to disinfect pools of water and wheelbarrows to remove rotting mud and sewage from the devastated houses. Two C-130 Hercules and twenty helicopters carried food and drinking water to several smaller towns south of Acapulco that were still cut off for almost a week after the hurricane.
Much of Acapulco was inaccessible for at least a week after the hurricane. Initially, the authorities gave priority to clean-up work in tourist areas, which resulted in the roads from the hotels to the airport being quickly cleaned up. Tourism plummeted after the hurricane, prompting hotels to give up to 40% off to bring customers back. One airline even offered two plane tickets for the price of one on the route from Mexico City to Acapulco. A month later, the hotels were almost fully occupied again.
The governments of Oaxaca and Guerrero asked UNICEF for help, specifically with water treatment technology and building materials. International aid initially focused exclusively on Acapulco. For a week after the hurricane, 500 communities in the state of Oaxaca were left with no outside help, and in Guerrero some larger towns did not receive any aid during this time. Ten days after the hurricane struck, more than 20,000 people were cut off from the relief teams, and the president feared people might starve. Helicopters were initially sent to the remote areas, but heavy rainfall and thick fog kept the pilots down.
The name Pauline was removed from the list of tropical cyclone names by the World Meteorological Organization in the spring of 1998 and replaced by Patricia for the 2003 Pacific hurricane season .
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Centro Nacional para la Prevención de Disastres: Estadisticas sobre los riesgos a atenuar de fenomenos perturbadores ( Spanish ) 1999. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved January 9, 2007.
- ↑ a b c d e f g Miles B. Lawrence: Hurricane Pauline Tropical Cyclone Report . National Hurricane Center . 1997. Retrieved January 2, 2007.
- ↑ a b CNN: Powerful Hurricane Pauline churns toward Mexico . 1997. Retrieved January 10, 2007.
- ↑ a b CNN: 'Dangerous' Hurricane Pauline to hit southwest Mexico . 1997. Retrieved January 10, 2007.
- ↑ a b c CNN: Southern Mexico facing perils of Pauline . 1997. Retrieved January 10, 2007.
- ^ A b c Church World Service: Situation Report Hurricane Pauline . ReliefWeb . 1997. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved January 9, 2007.
- ^ North American Forest Commission: Impact of climatic factors such as El Niño on forests . 1998. Retrieved January 10, 2007.
- ↑ Laura Sarti, Juan Díaz, Manuel Garduño, Javier Vasconcelos, Ernesto Albavera, Cuauhtemoc Peñaflores and René Márquez M .: Effect of Hurricane Pauline on the Nesting of Olive Ridley Turtle in Escobilla Beach, Oaxaca, Mexico (PDF; 3.6 MB) United States Department of Commerce. 1998. Retrieved January 10, 2007.
- ↑ Marine Turtle Newsletter: United States - Import Prohibition of Certain Shrimp and Shrimp Products . 1998. Retrieved January 10, 2007.
- ^ Action by Churches Together International: Alert Mexico Hurricane Pauline . ReliefWeb. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved January 9, 2007.
- ↑ a b c d e United Nations Department of Humanitarian Affairs: Mexico Hurricane Pauline Situation Report No.1 . ReliefWeb. 1997. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved January 9, 2007.
- ↑ a b c d e David Luhnow: Plague Fears Mount in Storm-Wrecked Acapulco , Reuters . October 13, 1997. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007 Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Retrieved January 9, 2007.
- ^ A b c Australian Broadcasting Corporation: Survivors of Mexican hurricane facing shortages of food and water . 1997. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved January 9, 2007.
- ↑ CNN: Pauline hits Mexico's Pacific coast resorts . 1997. Retrieved January 10, 2007.
- ^ UN Department of Public Information: Mexican states of Oaxaca and Guerrero ask UNICEF for assistance following destruction by hurricane Pauline . 1997. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved January 10, 2007.
- ↑ a b National Drought Mitigation Center: Reported Effects of the 1997–1998 El Niño . 1997. Archived from the original on December 8, 2006. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved January 10, 2007.
- ^ A b c d e Church World Service: Situation Report Hurricane Pauline . 1997. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved January 10, 2007.
- ↑ a b c en: International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement : Mexico Hurricane Pauline Information Bulletin No.1 . ReliefWeb. 1997. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved January 9, 2007.
- ↑ a b c d David Luhnow: Mexico Storm Victims Desperate for Food, Water , Reuters. October 15, 1997. Retrieved January 10, 2007.
- ^ A b Julia Preston: Acapulco Tourist Areas Are Open After Storm , New York Times. November 19, 1997. Retrieved January 10, 2007.
- ↑ David Luhnow: Cholera Breaks Out in Acapulco . Reuters. October 14, 1997. Retrieved January 10, 2007.
- ^ Australian Broadcasting Corporation: People in Mexico's Pacific mountains face starvation after hurricane . October 19, 1997. Retrieved January 10, 2007.
